The feasible Dreadnought Britain did not build

Dreadnought combined familiar 12-inch guns with a modest speed increase, coal firing, and turbines that were already established. The proposed alternative draws on more powerful 13.5-inch guns and Elswick 14-inch/45 weapons considered sufficiently developed for adoption. Proven twin turrets were the more likely choice despite the appeal of Vickers triple designs; the preferred 12-gun arrangement offered a ten-gun broadside. A stronger deterrent required three or four larger ships ordered together. Objections came both from officers who thought Dreadnought had sacrificed Britain's existing advantage and from officers such as Scott who thought the new ship had not gone far enough. Oil firing would have required infrastructure that was not yet established.